Military Aid to Colombia

Jim Fitz
forwarded by Nancy Hawkins

Hello Friends,

I just learned that House of Representatives is going to begin working on the 2007 military aid bill for Colombia at the end of this week. I want to ask you to contact your representative by phone, letter and/or email and ask them to support a reduction in the military aid package.
Below is a letter I am sending to my representative. Feel free to use its talking points for your communications to your representatives. I am sending the same to my newspaper, the President and my Senators. At this link you can sent your letter to all  of  them  with one click : http://capwiz.com/fconl/dbq/officials/  Let your prayer accompany your petitions.

Peace, Jim

Letter to Representative Jerry Weller

Honorable Representative Jerry Weller:

I have farmed outside of Tiskilwa, IL for 20 years. I am now a volunteer with Christian Peacemaker Teams in Colombia three months each year.

I am writing you regarding the upcoming vote in the congress regarding military aid to Colombia.

I understand the proposal is to increase military aid by $29 million dollars to about $640 million. I imagine the military industrial complex lobby is pushing you to support this increase in military aid; they sure have a lot to gain. Please resist their pressure.

I know you are a Christian and I ask you to prayerfully consider What would Jesus do?  I believe He would vote to increase aid in areas that really help people: health, education and help to the farmers in developing alternative crops to coca. I believe that He would vote to decrease military aid that fuels the fire of war and suffering for the people of Colombia.

To add to the argument, the conservative Rand Corporation has found in a recent study http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/drugs/buyers/doitwork.html that putting money into our successful drug treatment programs here in the US would be 23 times cheaper and more effective at curtailing the use of drugs here in the USA than using fumigation in Colombia.

Please let me know your position on this issue.

My prayer is that God himself may lead you.

Jim Fitz